Brightest Knight
by Syl
Summary: Earth is invaded, and the fate of the world falls on the shoulders of Robin, the Teen Lantern?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: Earth is invaded, and the fate of the world falls on the shoulders of Robin, _the_ _Teen Lantern_?

**Author's Note**: The story is based on the animated series _Young Justice_, so some characters aren't quite the same as they appear in DC comics. Cartoon Network has a character profile on each of the YJ members if you're curious. Special thanks go out to Beth, PJ, and Ellen for being gracious enough to offer their services as beta-readers. Their critical suggestions and eye for detail have made this a much better story than what I initially wrote.

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

**Copyright**: April 2012

Brightest Knight

By Syl Francis

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Robin flipped in midair, narrowly avoiding the killing beam. No one knew where they had come from, but in the few short days since they had appeared, the alien invaders had established a foothold and were quickly spreading out from there. The combined efforts of the Justice League and Young Justice had so far merely managed to keep them at bay.

A black object—a batarang—flew past him, missing him by the narrowest of margins. As he righted himself, he readied and threw a second batarang in the wake of the previous one. The two batarangs hit and attached themselves to their twin targets almost simultaneously, giving the Dynamic Duo just enough time to duck and cover.

The next instant, the targets—two enemy fighters—went up in an impressive display of pyrotechnics.

Robin looked back at his partner and gave him a "thumbs up." Batman's mouth twitched slightly, then quickly turned grim again.

"That was too close." The Dark Knight briefly laid his hand on Robin's shoulder. "Let's go, partner." Gotham City's famous crime fighting heroes ran across the rooftop of the Gotham State Trade Center toward the empty helipad. At the last moment, Batman activated a remote control, de-cloaking the Batwing.

"That will _**never**_ get old!" Robin grinned widely, his still-young voice cracking in his excitement. He rolled his eyes. _Puberty sucks_, he grumbled to himself.

Minutes later they were airborne, enroute to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. There, they were to rendezvous with Green Lantern, recon the Mother ship (or ET's HQ—whatever) and take it out.

"Go to stealth mode," Batman commanded.

"Roger, going to stealth mode." Robin typed a command into his virtual keyboard. Instantly, a 3-D schematic of the Batwing appeared and rotated 360 degrees on its axis. As Robin watched, the aircraft's outer skin, which was made of a specially bonded material that was not only radar absorbing, but also light refracting, began to glow red. They were now invisible to both Earth technology and the naked eye. Hopefully, they would also be unseen by the alien tech.

"Stealth mode…on," Robin reported.

"Good…take over."

Unable to hide his exuberance, Robin pumped his fist. "Yes!" Even strapped into his co-pilot's seat, it was obvious that the junior superhero was doing mental back flips.

Watching his young partner and soon-to-be adopted son, Batman's mouth again moved in the tiniest of twitches. He knew that he would never be a true replacement for Dick's parents, but since that one tragic day at the circus, the two orphans had found in each other and Alfred (plus their shared mission) all the family and purpose they needed.

And the bureaucrats at the Child Welfare Service had finally approved Bruce's petition to adopt him. Today was the day that he and Dick were supposed to have gone to Family Court to sign all the formal adoption papers. Today, Dick would have legally become his son.

Of course, the aliens had to choose this week to invade. It was just one more thing to hold against them—on top of the wanton acts of death and destruction that they were committing on a global scale, the invaders had taken this day away from them. Hopefully, once this was all over…

Meanwhile, Robin had eagerly taken the controls, grinning as he remembered the YJ members' reaction to getting to work alongside the JLA. Had the mission briefing only been five hours ago? It seemed a lifetime…

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

On Day One, schools across the nation were cancelled almost as soon as the invasion fleet appeared on satellite imagery. People were urged to stay home and remain calm until further notice. Naturally, the announcement was met with panic and rioting in the streets.

On Day Two, the Justice League and Young Justice were called in to help put down the riots. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman sent a worldwide telecast, again asking for calm and for everyone to return to their homes. Surprisingly, the people of Earth responded positively.

On Day Three, the UN, in cooperation with NATO and the nonaligned nations, deployed their combined militaries. The Justice League put out an "All Hands on Deck" alert to the other heroes around the globe.

On Day Four, the members of Young Justice awaited their new orders in Mount Justice in varying stages of boredom and anticipation.

Miss Martian was in the kitchen mixing cookie dough for the chocolate chip cookies she was determined to bake, invasion or no invasion. Superboy watched her hands as she worked, fascinated by their delicate bone structure.

Artemis, Aqualad, and Zatanna sat in the common room, quietly reading. Artemis used the time to catch up on her assignment for AP Lit. Zatanna concentrated on a book of spells, attempting to decipher a set of ancient runes that her dad had been helping her with before he accepted the role of Dr. Fate, and was lost to her forever. Aqualad simply read for pleasure, enjoying the latest vampire-themed novel by a surface dweller.

Robin and Kid Flash, meanwhile, were playing a video game that had lots of explosions, mayhem, and murder—normal teenaged entertainment. Robin was currently kicking butt.

"Dude! My Quicksilver is not going down this time!" Kid Flash challenged. "I am _**soooo**_ going to—"

A huge explosion was followed by a computer-generated voice. "Game Over. Quicksilver—5,000 points. Nightwing—30,000 points. New High Score."

"You were saying?" Robin deadpanned.

He quickly pressed several keys on his virtual keyboard. A figure in a black bodysuit with a blue wing design that spread across the chest, shoulders, and down his arms, put his hands up in victory and then proceeded to execute a series of complicated acrobatic moves: back flips, cartwheels, and round offs. Nightwing, the avatar Robin used as his gaming persona, then walked over to a figure in silver and gold—Quicksilver. He took a bow and shook hands with his opponent.

Before Kid Flash could say anything further, the communications monitor came online, and Batman's grim visage was suddenly looking down on them.

"Team…mission briefing in five in the conference room." As the video monitor winked out, the teleporter activated and a computer-generated voice announced Batman's arrival.

"Batman…0-2."

The team scrambled toward the conference room.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

"Devil's Tower?" Artemis repeated in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" She swallowed as she felt the full brunt of the Bat-glare suddenly aimed her way. "No…I guess you're not."

"It makes perfect sense," Kid Flash said with a shrug. "I mean, everybody knows that when ET invades, he's gonna put his HQ there. It was all in that movie, remember? The one with the musical sign language."

"Okay, but the next _Close Encounters_," Robin replied, "they've gotta land in the D.C. Mall and bring the whole world to a standstill." Forming the Vulcan hand-greeting, he deadpanned, "_Klaatu barada nikto_!"

"I think you're mixing your movie metaphors," Artemis said wryly.

"Yeah, but only a fellow sci-fi geek would know," Robin replied with a smirk.

The sound of a throat clearing brought them all back to the discussion at hand. This time Batman's glare took in each member of Young Justice, especially his partner. The teens looked properly chastised.

"Here are your mission assignments: Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Superboy…you will deploy in the bioship and rendezvous with Aquaman, who will bring part of the Atlantean fleet. You'll assist in defending the coastal cities along the North and South American Atlantic seaboard. Artemis, Aqualad, and Zatanna…you will teleport to Gateway City and rendezvous with Black Canary and the Arrows. There you'll assist in defending the cities along the Pacific coast. The rest of the League is being deployed around the world."

"Um…what about me?" Robin asked.

"You're with me—the Cave in two minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Batman turned and left without further word. Refusing to acknowledge the others' sympathetic stares, Robin followed, heading toward the teleporter and the Bat-cave.

Stepping into the portal, he stated his destination. The complex machinery gave him a full-body scan, verifying his identity. Once completed, the teleporter announced his departure. "Robin…B-0-1."

Kid Flash scowled. "Looks like Daddy-Bats is keeping Baby-Bird on a short leash." He shook his head. "That is _so_ lame!"

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Robin's initial disappointment that he would be partnered with his, well, partner disappeared. After all, he was really flying the Batwing on the mission, not just monitoring the systems from the co-pilot's station. And his part of the mission would be critical on the ground as well—he would be hacking the alien security systems and providing them with real-time data.

And as for getting to fly the coolest plane in the whole world? Heck, he wasn't even old enough to drive the Batmobile, yet. (Okay, the fact that he was barely tall enough to reach the gas pedals was so beside the point.) But being the son of two circus aerialists, Dick had been born to fly, to challenge gravity, to defy death—all while performing 100 feet in the air without a net.

As Robin, the Boy Wonder, he performed the same routines he'd been perfecting since he learned to walk; only now, he did them 100 stories up with only his skills and decel-line to keep death at bay. Flying the Batwing was child's play compared to that.

Still—this was the Batwing! The ultimate Bat-toy and the envy of the other non-powered, teenaged superheroes—even Speedy (or Red Arrow, as he called himself these days). The Arrow Jet (_And could there be a __**lamer**__ codename_? Robin opined.) was only able to achieve supersonic speeds—which was _**way**_ outclassed by the 'Wing's hypersonics.

Robin thanked his lucky stars that he had finally logged in enough hours on the simulator for Batman to give him his solo flight test, which the young acrobat had passed with _**flying**_ colors, of course.

_All in time to fly this mission—woohoo!_

As he handled the sensitive controls, Robin managed to dial down his excitement a few notches. They were on a mission, and what they did in the next few hours could mean the difference between life and death—not just theirs, but all mankind's.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Thirty minutes out of Devil's Tower, Robin returned control of the Batwing to Batman. His hands now free, Robin immediately accessed the latest JL Watchtower satellite imagery of the alien mothership and proceeded to establish a handshake with its communication system. His expert hacking made short work of the alien headquarters' security measures, and within moments, a 3-D holographic schematic of the enemy ship appeared.

"Good work." The Dark Knight's succinct words warmed the Boy Wonder's heart. "What's the quickest—?"

"—Way into and out of the ship's core?" Robin finished, as he pressed the _enter_ key. "_Voila_!" Two different paths into the alien ship lit up. "We can enter through here or here." Robin pointed at the two indicated locations—one facing southwest in red, the other northeast in blue. "The red is the longest route to the ship's core, but the one with the least number of security checkpoints...See? Here, here, and here." The teen's serious expression glowed blue from the holographic display before him. "The blue route is the shorter one, but as you can see, it has two extra checkpoints. Plus, you'd have to pass next to the ship's bridge."

"Can you neutralize the security checkpoints?" Batman asked.

If Kid Flash had asked the question, Robin would have said, _D'uh!_ But since this was Batman, he just gave him a look, which managed to convey the same message.

Batman's response was a slight narrowing of his eyes. "We split up. You take the core; I'll take the bridge. Destroying either point should result in loss of command and control of the invasion fleet. Get in. Get out. Rendezvous back here."

"What about GL? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"

"He's been unavoidably detained. It's just you and me…like always."

"In that case," Robin said, strapping on a pair of explosives-laden ammo belts, "let's go!" He watched with satisfaction as Batman donned an identical set of belts. In his excitement, he forgot himself and held his fist out to Batman, something he always did before a mission with Kid Flash. Seeing the patented Bat-glare aimed at the suddenly offending appendage, Robin began to withdraw it.

The corner of Batman's mouth twitched slightly upward. He bumped closed fists with Robin, and headed out.

The Boy Wonder had a wide grin as he hurried after his mentor. _Now I'm totally '__**whelmed**__! _He thought happily.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Robin moved quickly, but stealthily through the ship's maintenance/ventilation shaft—part of a network of tunnels used for easy access of all ship-wide maintenance systems. As he hurried toward his destination, he was guided by a virtual holographic image projected by his wrist computer. So far, the massive security breach he'd initiated had held, and neither his nor Batman's movements had been detected. He reached the final security checkpoint that opened to the ship's core and sent a coded message to Batman to let him know he was in position.

Batman, who had less distance to travel to the ship's bridge, was already standing by, waiting for Robin's update. As soon as they were both in place, they acknowledged that it was time to get started, and proceeded with their respective missions.

Running a quick visual and virtual check of the core interior, Robin verified the coast was clear. Again, sticking to the shadows, Robin entered the ship's engine room and made a beeline toward the core. It was held in a 3-story-high containment field and emitted energy readings that were off the scale, indicating the massive power that was being generated.

When this thing blew, everything within a 25-mile radius would be vaporized. Which was why Green Lantern had been detained. It had been his job to clear the blast area of any innocent bystanders. _Amazing how many people you can find out here in the middle of nowhere_, Robin thought wryly. Still, better safe than sorry. GL had to double-check and triple-check to ensure that no one was left behind.

At last report, a group of hikers—members of a local church youth group—still hadn't been accounted for. What they were doing out hiking in the middle of an alien invasion of Earth was anybody's guess. Robin rolled his eyes.

_And oh, brother! What about the wildlife?_ There wasn't enough time for all of it, but knowing Green Lantern, he'd give it his best shot. Robin had overheard GL's transmission to Batman earlier. The Emerald Knight was at least going to try to save the black-tailed prairie dog, which was on the endangered species list.

GL had reported earlier that he wasn't going to be much longer, and that he'd rendezvous shortly with them.

That is, unless he suddenly had to save some other obscure species, which would take even more time, just so the invaders could later kill them all in the coming days if their mission failed.

_Like Batman said… it's just him and me—like always._ Robin set the final charge but didn't activate it. He quickly headed back to the maintenance/ventilation shaft and made it without incident. Once there, he reported to Batman, who had also met with success on his own task. Grinning, the Boy Wonder pressed the detonator timer and activated not only the charges he'd set, but also the ones that Batman had emplaced. The digital countdown had begun—00:15:00... 00:14:59…

_Time to go!_

Because Robin had the farthest distance to travel to the rendezvous, he'd been responsible for activating the timers. Now he had to make it back to the exit and the Batwing and somehow manage to fly it out of the blast-zone in time to avoid being roasted.

_All in a day's work_—!

Suddenly, security blast doors began lowering in front of and behind him.

—_Or not!_

Robin picked up his speed, dove head first underneath the blast door, curled his slender body into as small a size as he could, and slid safely past. Seeing that the next section of the maintenance/ventilation shaft was being similarly locked down, he readied and threw a batarang in less time than it took him to take a breath, and crouched under his nomex/Kevlar reinforced cape for protection against the ensuing explosion. Knocked around by the force of the shockwave, Robin felt the heat from the blast through the cape's protective layer.

As he lay recovering, trying to remember how to breathe, it seemed as if all the sound had been sucked into a black hole, only to suddenly have it return at full volume. Angry shouts of surprise filtered over from the other side of the wall, galvanizing him into action. He sprang forward and dove through the resulting blast hole.

As he landed on the other side of the breach, Robin executed a shoulder roll. Pulling out his escrima sticks, he went airborne and kicked out, taking out two of the enemy combatants. Unfortunately, there were at least thirty more blocking his exit.

_And it's déjà vu all over again, _Robin thought to himself as he recalled the no-win training exercise in which he and the rest of his teammates had been virtually killed. _Well…they say you fight the way you train. If that's true, then I'll take down as many with me as I can._

"Robin, come in." Batman's terse voice came over his earpiece.

"A little busy here," Robin muttered in response.

"Ship's surveillance shows you're less than half the distance to the exit. What's your status?"

"I got a reception committee. They insist I join them for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Won't take _**no**_ for an answer."

"I'm on my way."

"No! Batman, follow mission protocol! Take the 'Wing and get out of here." As he spoke, Robin's moves turned desperate. He leapt over the heads of his attackers and spun in midair, kicking out in a move that was as graceful as it was it deadly.

Landing in a crouch, he was gathering himself to spring at the next target, when he was suddenly enveloped in a protective green bubble.

"Hey, kid…I hear you could use a hand." Green Lantern grinned as he punched at the remaining enemy aliens with a giant boxing glove.

"Hey, I had it under control," Robin protested. "But, if you really want to help, how about getting us out of here before—" Robin's eyes widened. "GL! Lookout!"

A deadly particle beam suddenly cut down the Emerald Warrior in mid-flight, and he dropped bonelessly to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. With GL's strong will suddenly broken, the glowing green bubble that had been shielding Robin from attack winked out. Running toward the fallen hero, Robin threw one of his escrima sticks at the enemy soldier who'd targeted GL, knocking him on the side of the head.

Reaching Green Lantern's side, Robin dragged him behind the blast door he'd initially broken through and quickly checked him for injuries. It was bad…real bad. But he was still breathing—if just barely.

"Batman, GL's down," Robin reported tersely. He checked his countdown clock-00:02:45… 00:02:44… "Batman…I just want you to know…these past few years with you…being your partner…your son…I couldn't have asked for a better—" Robin stopped suddenly, his eyes wide, mouth forming a small _O_. "What the—?"

"Robin…report!"

Robin watched, transfixed as Green Lantern's ring suddenly slipped off GL's middle finger and flew toward him. The moment the ring left GL, the hero's uniform disappeared, leaving behind his civilian persona of Hal Jordan, wearing his test pilot's flight suit.

Startled, Robin could only stare mutely as the Ring slipped onto his own middle finger, and somehow sized itself down until it fit him snugly.

"_Richard John Grayson of Earth…" _

Robin "heard" a cold, disembodied voice in his head. A quick glance at his wrist computer readout showed the countdown at 00:01:40…

"_Yours is truly a strong and powerful will,"_ the voice intoned. _"It flows out of you from a pure and well-ordered mind that has a strong need to protect and serve others, and to fight for the cause of justice. While Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Earth and Sector 2814, lies incapacitated, you are hereby tasked with his duties and responsibilities until further notice."_

"What? B-but, I'm just a kid!"

"_I suggest you initiate an escape from the impending blast zone before discussing this any further."_

Robin blinked. "Yeah, right…good plan." The Boy Wonder paused confused. "Um, what do I do? Oh, yeah…Batman said the Ring is powered by GL's will and limited only by his imagination." Closing his eyes, he concentrated. "Okay…here goes nothing."

Using his mind's eye, he saw himself and GL enveloped in a protective green bubble and escaping from the mothership. The next instant, Robin's red tunic was a glowing, emerald green, while the _R_ symbol was now overlaid with a Green Lantern insignia.

"Whoa…now _**that's**_ cool!"

They weren't completely out of the woods yet. Concentrating, the slightly built teen threw the much larger hero over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, and he willed the Ring to fly them to safety away from the mothership.

He blinked. They were airborne and outside. Better yet, they were on a straight course to where they'd landed the Batwing. Robin checked the time again. _(Obsessed, much_? he asked himself.)

…00:00:58…

To his horror, he saw the Batwing up ahead—on the ground, exactly where they'd landed it hours ago. Searching the surrounding area frantically, he caught a glimpse of a dark cape making its way back to the enemy ship.

"Batman!"

The teenaged Emerald Knight, changed directions and zeroed in on the Dark Knight. There wasn't any time left. In a desperate bid to save his mentor, partner, and surrogate father, Robin focused his considerable will and conjured a glowing, green grappler. He mentally fired it at Batman, willing the decel-line to wrap itself around him.

He retracted the grappler, pulling Batman into the safety of the protective bubble. Without consciously thinking about it, Robin was suddenly seated in an exact green replica of the Batwing's cockpit. Mentally running a systems check, he activated the aircraft's outer shields and took the controls. He punched the hypersonic drive just as the countdown clock reached 00:00:00.

_Game Over_.

The world paused and held its collective breath.

In the blink of an eye, a massive fireball lit up the sky. This was instantaneously followed by a concussive wave that slammed into the green Batwing, swatting it like a fly. The controls were wrested from Robin's grasp, and they quickly lost altitude. For a heart-stopping moment, all Robin saw was the ground coming up to meet them.

Batman's cool, calm voice broke through the Teen Lantern's panic. "Bring her nose up, Robin…just like in the simulator. Ease into the controls…"

With his mentor's voice patiently guiding him, Robin found his center and calmly exerted his Bat-trained will on the controls. This Batwing was his creation, after all. He could make it do whatever he wanted it to.

"…That's it. You've got it." Batman gave him a half-smile. "Good work."

"Thanks, Batman." His mentor's words temporarily warmed him inside; however, his momentary feeling of triumph was dampened by Green Lantern's uncertain condition. It was a very grave young hero who transmitted the two-word message that the League was desperately waiting for.

_Mission accomplished_.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

**End Part 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary**: As Batman's partner, Robin is used to handling all the coolest toys. But has his training prepared him for the most powerful weapon in the universe—a Green Lantern's Power Ring?

**Author's Note**: Special thanks go out to Beth, PJ, and Ellen for being gracious enough to offer their services as beta-readers. Their critical suggestions and eye for detail have made this a much better story than what I initially wrote. (This is the last part that has been beta'd. The rest of the story will be posted as soon as the rest is properly proofread.)

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

**Copyright**: April 2012

Brightest Knight

By Syl Francis

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Following the destruction of the alien mothership, it did not take long for the rest of the alien forces to be either destroyed or rounded up…

Flying south along the eastern seaboard, Miss Martian's bioship was only a few minutes out of Virginia Beach, when Kid Flash, who was monitoring comms, picked up radio chatter on a military frequency.

"I've got something!" he called out. "I'm putting it on speaker."

"_Rambler Flight, this is Sidewinder. AirOps has bogies on radar. Everybody, watch your six! We got in-coming!"_

"_Roger, Sidewinder. It's show time."_

"Can you pinpoint their location?" Miss Martian asked.

"Just a sec…" Kid Flash worked the console briefly before nodding. "Got 'em! It's a naval squadron stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia."

Miss Martian closed her eyes and queried her bioship, an intelligent and organic construct that was psychically tuned to her. "We're two minutes out. Wally, inform Aquaman. Let him know the situation. We're going in!"

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Their teammates on the West Coast were facing their own problems. Once Aqualad, Artemis, and Zatanna rendezvoused with the Arrows and Black Canary, the situation quickly deteriorated from nearly to truly awful.

The invaders had gained a beachhead in Gateway City. Air transport vehicles were dropping enemy soldiers by the hundreds all over the city. The California National Guard had set up lines of defense that ran on a north-south axis along the West Coast. So far, the enemy had already breached two major points along the Pacific Coast Highway. Still, the Guard was holding its own against the alien aggressors.

The heroes set up a defensive perimeter to augment the military plan. Green Arrow positioned himself and Red Arrow on twin high-rise buildings located a few hundred feet across from each other. From their vantage points, they were able to provide covering fire for the Young Justice super-powered heroes below.

Levitating a few feet off the ground, Zatanna worked her backwards magic on two strange ground vehicles that she dubbed enemy tanks.

"_Ymene, kant, esir! Sharc – terrut nwod—otni eht dnoces kant_!" (Enemy tank, rise! Crash—turret down—onto the second tank!)

Aqualad, also trained in the arcane arts, went into a defensive crouch and took out his water swords. Using his internal sonar, he sought out the nearest source of water. Grinning, he thought it fitting that the closest would turn out to be the underground sewers, which emptied into the local water treatment plant. Pointing the water swords at two manhole covers, he was rewarded by an explosive water geyser shooting up twenty feet in the air.

Calling forth a huge volume of the untreated water, he manipulated the H2O molecules, forming them into hardened missiles, which he flung at the advancing enemy tanks. Simultaneously, he shot interceptors at the incoming rounds that the enemy fired. The results were as satisfying as they were devastating. The tanks exploded outward in a tremendous plume, their own ammo having ignited in secondary explosions.

The Arrows—Green and Red—were adding their own unique brand of mayhem and destruction with their trick arrows, while standing precariously on narrow ledges that ran alongside the top floors of the twin office buildings belonging to Queen, Inc. (West).

Meanwhile, Black Canary and Artemis were in the Arrow Jet buzzing the ground forces, weapons hot. The heroes weren't holding back—Earth's very existence was on the line.

It was either kill or be killed.

Artemis was monitoring the radar/nav computer when she saw that a bogey had them in a weapons lock. "BC! We've got trouble!"

"I see it," Black Canary responded calmly. She quickly executed some impressive barrel rolls, maneuvering the jet through some high g's to get out from under the enemy's sights.

"No good! He's still on us!" Artemis cried out.

The next instant the enemy fired. It was a particularly deadly particle beam that experience had shown could slice through their aircraft like a knife through butter. Before either hero could react, they were suddenly encased in a green protective bubble and yanked out of the disintegrating Arrow Jet.

"GL!" Black Canary cried out happily. "I thought you were in Wyoming helping the Bats!"

"He was…and he did."

The low, unexpected growl, and the fact that they found themselves inside a Power Ring facsimile of a jet's cockpit, caused both heroines to blink, stunned. Batman manned the co-pilot's seat, but they couldn't make out whom, if anyone, was in the pilot's seat. From her angle, Black Canary could only see the back of the seat.

"Where's GL?" she asked.

"No time…strap in." Batman didn't bother turning around.

Before she could respond, Black Canary and Artemis were seated and strapped in. And it was a good thing, too, because the aircraft began moving in a manner that no Earth-built jets were designed to attempt. The increased g-forces slammed them unceremoniously back into their seats, unable to move. Black Canary felt as if her heart, lungs, and throat were being crushed by a giant hand. She couldn't breathe…dark spots danced in front of her. She felt a black void closing in.

"Inertial dampeners," Batman said calmly.

"Roger."

"Ease into it..." Batman's voice sounded steady, almost soothing.

Barely conscious, Black Canary turned her eyes—the only part of her body she could move—toward the pilot's seat. Someone was obviously sitting there, but who? The voice sounded too young, too high to be Hal, Black Canary realized. The intense pressure on her chest was gently released.

"Got it," the young voice said, relieved. "Sorry 'bout that—"

"Bogey at two o'clock!" Batman warned.

"Hold on—!"

The next few minutes must have passed at a normal pace, but to the two passengers in the back seats, it seemed like time had slowed to a dead crawl. Batman called for weapons control. Immediately, a weapons console appeared as if by magic. Keeping his voice quiet and even, he kept murmuring tactics and other suggestions to the pilot.

The pilot's skills were nothing short of incredible. He flew the aircraft as if it were an extension of himself—which it probably was since the entire the thing was a Power Ring construct. Whosever will was controlling the Ring, he must have been part acrobat because the maneuvers he was executing would have been more common in a gymnastics competition or the circus.

Black Canary's eyes went wide at the epiphany. _It couldn't be—Robin?_ _And if it is…then what happened to Hal_? Becoming lost in thought, she didn't see the enemy fighter go up in a fireball, nor did she see any of the successive fighters follow the first into oblivion. What she did notice was Batman's quiet promptings being quickly executed. By the time the shadows were lengthening as the sun slowly sank into the horizon, the heroes had completely halted the enemy's advance on the West Coast.

At this point, the pilot finally took the time to turn around, wave and smile at his passengers. "Hey, you ladies doing okay back there?"

"Robin?" Artemis stared at him shock.

"Hey, Artemis! Feeling the _'aster_ yet?"

"It was you all this time?" Her barely articulated question implied so much more: _It was you piloting the jet? Pulling us to safety? Knocking out the enemy fighter pilots? _

Robin held up his right hand and closed his fist. The Ring on his middle finger was glowing, practically pulsing with barely harnessed green energy.

"Where's GL?" Black Canary demanded. "What happened?"

Robin's face fell. "He was hit," he whispered.

"I had Robin put him in stasis until we can safely get him to a hospital," Batman added.

Knowing the answer before she asked, Black Canary articulated the words anyway. "How bad?"

Keeping his eyes on Robin, Batman finally answered Black Canary's question. "Bad enough."

Robin flinched at her question and Batman's reply. In an uncharacteristic public display, Batman reached across to his protégé and laid his hand on the young boy's shoulder.

Shaking her head, Black Canary met Batman's eyes. A silent message passed between them, _So…what happens now?_

Before anyone spoke further, an incoming message flashed on the comms board. Batman listened intently then turned to Robin.

"That was Aquaman. The rest of the team's in trouble."

Robin's eyes widened. He turned to the controls. "We've gotta help them," he muttered. _But how? _

"How fast can this thing move?" Artemis asked, worried for their teammates.

"Not fast enough," Batman replied. "Even at hypersonic speeds, we're a good hour out."

"If only we had a zeta-beam station nearby," Black Canary muttered.

"That's it!" Robin shouted. "Everybody…hold on to your hats!" Concentrating with all the Bat-will he could muster, Robin visualized a teleportation portal. As the others watched, the Batwing cockpit disappeared and a facsimile of the Mount Justice portal materialized around them.

The familiar computer voice announced: "Batman, Robin, Black Canary, Artemis, Green Lantern… acknowledged." The next instant they were above the Atlantic, an air/sea battle scene being played out before them.

"How did you _**do**_ that?" Black Canary demanded. "How is it even _**possible**_?"

"Later—if we're still around!" Robin said sharply. "In the meantime…_**Battle stations**_!" The others blinked, momentarily surprised when they saw that they were now in what appeared to be the bridge of a ship—a space ship. They quickly took their stations.

"You've always wanted to say that! Admit it!" Artemis said. She was now manning the comms/nav station.

Batman and Black Canary were manning the fore and aft weapons stations, respectively. "Did _**you**_ know?" she asked him. "Has GL _**ever**_—?"

"No and no!" Batman interrupted, concentrating on the instruments in front of him.

Black Canary rolled her eyes and huffed to herself. She suppressed a childish urge to stick out her tongue at him, and instead turned to her own console.

Robin was in the Captain's chair. From there, he had total control of all ship's systems.

"You know…this looks suspiciously like a Star Trek/Stargate bridge hybrid," Artemis said over her shoulder.

"Geek, much?" Robin teased.

"Robin." Batman didn't raise his voice; he didn't need to. Everyone just automatically jumped when the de facto JL leader spoke. "We need a sit-rep. What kind of forces are we up against? Where are your teammates? What's their status?"

Robin concentrated, his focus turning inward. "One situation report coming up." A 3-D hologram that showed the real-time tactical situation appeared before them. A squadron of enemy fighters was systematically attacking a U.S. Navy carrier strike group located fifteen nautical miles off the coast of Virginia. At least two support craft—a destroyer and frigate—were spewing heavy smoke from onboard fires. The frigate was listing badly to starboard.

Smaller craft circling the frigate indicated that the ship's lifeboats were being deployed.

The carrier air wing, comprised of F/A-18 Super Hornets, was barely holding its own in aerial dogfighting, a sign that the navy jets were largely outclassed by the much faster, more highly maneuverable enemy aircraft.

As for their teammates and Aquaman…where were they? And what of the Atlantean fleet that he'd promised?

Almost as soon as Robin formulated the questions, Artemis spotted them. "There they are! At two o'clock!" The YJ's bioship appeared on the offensive, taking on several of the enemy fighters at once.

When one got too close, Superboy suddenly jumped out of the bioship and landed on the enemy's hull. With an impressive show of strength, he punched through the aircraft's aft section and literally yanked out its engines. As it started losing altitude, Superboy leapt from the disabled aircraft onto another and repeated his actions.

In the meantime, the bioship managed to fight its way to the two navy ships that were in trouble, and the two remaining teammates—Kid Flash and Miss Martian—both exited the craft, which although unmanned continued to seek out and destroy the enemy.

The young Martian flew over to the floundering frigate, while the teen speedster landed on the deck of the destroyer. Miss Martian used her psychic powers to right the frigate, giving the crew sufficient time to man the lifeboats. Meanwhile, Kid Flash was using his super-speed to create a waterspout, which he then used to douse the fires onboard the destroyer.

Robin's team had not been idle. Black Canary and Batman, manning the fore and aft weapons, began to rake a line of devastation among the enemy aircraft. Artemis monitored the ship's sensors and kept them apprised of incoming bogies, as well as assisting in target acquisition.

Robin flew the hybrid craft as an extension of himself—his mind mimicking the complicated, yet flowing moves that he himself would normally execute while dodging bullets or simply enjoying the feeling of free fall from several stories up. In other words, the ship mirrored the breathtaking loops, graceful diving and zigzagging at heart-stopping rates of speed that he might perform on any given day—moves that came to him as naturally as breathing.

And, while accomplishing these feats of derring-do, he provided the US naval forces with sufficient shielding to prevent any more deaths. They still lost several aircraft, and at least one more destroyer took a hit, but his actions bought the navy time to effect its own rescues and damage control.

On one of their express-elevator descents nearly to the top of the ocean waves, they spotted the Atlanteans assisting the navy personnel from the lifeboats, taking them onto one of their submersibles. Aquaman was standing guard on deck, his trident firing rapid bursts at approaching enemy fighters. A pod of whales surrounded the sinking frigate, nudging it upright and helping it stay afloat.

Despite everyone's best efforts, the battle was proving futile. No matter how many of the enemy they took down, it seemed as if two more took their place. They weren't exactly losing, but they weren't winning, either. There were just too many of the enemy to effect a substantial victory. Robin's aircraft suddenly took a jolt, then another, then several more.

"Robin! Evasive action!" Batman shouted.

Robin attempted to comply, dodging through the heavy curtain of enemy fire. "I can't shake 'em!" he shouted. "Artemis! Report!"

"They're all around us, Robbie!"

"They're trying to maneuver us into a pincer move," Batman said. "Robin…we need something more powerful to fight them off."

"How about one of their particle weapons?" Black Canary suggested. "They've proven pretty effective."

"No…I think have a better idea," Robin said. "Batman, the League has the coordinates of the nearest uninhabited worlds capable of supporting life?" At Batman's nod, Robin said, "Send the coordinates to my station."

Batman eyes narrowed. "Robin, I don't think—"

"Whatever you're planning, you'd better do it soon!" Black Canary said sharply as they took another hit. This one resulted in Robin's construct blinking briefly on and off, almost like a light bulb flickering just before it died out.

Batman glared at his protégé a moment longer, then with a sharp nod, sent him the coordinates. Robin put the information on the holo-screen, and studied the 3-D starmap that materialized.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began trying to clear his mind. He attempted shutting out the sounds of battle, which were coupled with shouts from Black Canary and Artemis, urging him to hurry. The distractions were giving him trouble concentrating on the task at hand. The sudden weight of a warm, supportive hand on his shoulder infused him with a surge of confidence.

He looked up at his dark mentor and gave him a grateful nod. Batman's usually grim visage softened momentarily in acknowledgement. Straightening his shoulders, Robin again took a couple of deep breaths to settle his nerves. He once again began clearing his mind of all distractions, blocking out all sights and sounds of battle.

Looking deep within himself, he pictured the enemy aircraft…visualized the alien crews…saw their marauding raids on the defenseless cities and people below. He felt a wave of anger at the horror and devastation that their kind were inflicting on his planet. The building rage threatened to consume him, but it was tempered by an overwhelming urge to protect the people of Earth. He knew instinctively that the green energy wasn't meant to be used in anger, and he took comfort in the strong hand that had somehow remained on his shoulder all this time.

He reached inside for the part of him linked to the Power Ring. He could feel it all around him…the green energy that empowered the universe-all living things, all matter. It was the stuff of dreams. It fueled the very stars. It was as old as creation.

The green energy surged within him, channeled through him to the Ring, and then burst forth!

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Artemis shrieked inadvertently when the cockpit dematerialized, and blushed furiously as it was replaced with a simple protective bubble. Black Canary knelt next to Green Lantern who was still enclosed in a stasis field. She held his head on her lap. Batman stood next to Robin, his hand firmly clasped on the Boy Wonder's shoulder. Robin was just floating in midair, sitting cross-legged. At first glance he looked completely relaxed; however, on closer look Artemis could see the strain in the jut of his chin, the stiffening of his shoulders, and the repeated flexing of his fists...

The Imperator Legion's atmospheric fighter crews fought on despite the loss of the mothership. With their air superiority, they would finish bringing this planet to its knees for the glory of the great goddess and her true son—the great Imperator himself…!

Pilot Officer D'Chet, Red Squadron, piloting one of the Legion's atmospheric fighters, had the mysterious green, glowing airship locked in his sights. He was about to blast it with his particle weapon, when he was enveloped in a bubble comprised of the same strange green energy…

Weapons Specialist D'Rhot, Red Squadron gunner's mate, brought the secondary twin-guns online. Just as he pressed the firing mechanisms, he and the rest of the weapons crew found themselves encased in a green energy field along with several of their brethren. Unable to help himself, D'Rhot reached his hand out carefully and touched the force field. He jumped at the sudden jolt, and hugged his numbed limb to himself.

Flight Officer D'Thor, Red Squadron commander, ordered all his atmospheric fighters to converge on the strange craft. The Imperator himself had personally touched him on the forehead and given him the honor of leading the Legion's atmospheric fighters on his galactic crusade of conquest. As D'Thor's squadron formed the Legion Spearhead, its traditional V-formation, he sounded the Legion's battle cry over the squadron's comm-net.

"_For the great goddess and the honor of the Impera—!"_ The battle cry was cut off prematurely as a green energy enveloped him, pulled him out of the cockpit, and tossed him ignominiously on his backside into a green energy bubble. He looked up into the shamed faces of what remained of his squadron. "In the name of the great goddess…what is going on?" he demanded. "What is this thing that entraps us?"

As luck would have it, D'Thor was the last of the Legion to materialize inside the emerald prison. Among the great Imperator's warriors could be heard the cry of alarmed voices, babbling in panic and anger. "We are not children to be frightened by this trickery!" shouted D'Thor. "We are Legion warriors, tasked by the great Imperator himself to conquer in his name…We do not cower before mere chattel—!"

"Enemy combatants transfer to commence in five…four…three…two…one…Mark!" A zeta-beam teleportation wormhole appeared, swallowing and transporting the enemy aircrews that Robin had rounded up only moments before.

And from all over the globe, unofficial reports came in that enemy atmospheric fighters mysteriously lost altitude and fell to the ground. Further investigation revealed empty cockpits, unmanned crew-served weapons. The air crews seemed to have inexplicably disappeared.

Officially, the government had no comment.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

As the wormhole vanished, Robin stiffened suddenly and his eyes snapped opened. The Power Ring energy radiated off him in waves and slowly dissipated. As the emerald aura left him, several things happened at once: the Boy Wonder slumped forward unconscious and Batman caught him; the protective bubble vanished, and they began to fall. Black Canary held on tightly to Green Lantern. Artemis to her vast mortification again shrieked in surprise as her stomach flip-flopped.

They dropped no more than two feet onto the hull of the bioship, which had literally appeared out of nowhere and landed with a resounding _~thump!~ _

"Talk about freaking luck!" Artemis groaned, rubbing her hip. "Oh, yeah…that's gonna leave a bruise."

"Luck had nothing to do with it." The sudden breeze announced the arrival of Kid Flash. "The Bats radioed an S.O.S. to Miss M. just before the giant green Stargate/wormhole thingie whisked away all the bad guys. And just what the heck was that all about?"

"Don't ask me…ask Kid Lantern over there." Artemis nodded toward Robin.

Miss Martian and Superboy had followed Kid Flash outside, and they immediately offered assistance with Green Lantern and Robin.

Batman brusquely shook off their offers, and as the YJ teammates watched, he stood, Robin held carefully in his arms and headed into the bioship.

"Who's Kid Lantern?"

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

End Part 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary**: As a team of JL heroes led by Batman transport captured enemy prisoners to another planet, Robin receives word that they are under attack.

**Author's Note**: The story is based on the animated series _Young Justice_, so some characters aren't quite the same as they appear in DC comics. Cartoon Network has a character profile on each of the YJ members if you're curious. Special thanks again to Beth, PJ, and Ellen for being gracious enough to offer their services as beta-readers.

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

**Copyright**: April 2012

Brightest Knight

By Syl Francis

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

News reports from around the globe began trickling in, claiming that entire squadrons of enemy aircraft inexplicably went out of control and crashed to Earth…

"…And when questioned about the strange, green energy that was said to have appeared before the enemy planes crashed and of the rumors that the enemy crews were missing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Samuel Lane, replied _'No comment.'_ This is Cat Grant with LNN News, reporting live from Washington, DC…back to you, Jack!"

"Thank you, Cat…and in other news, the Justice League went out in full force to assist in putting down this latest threat to our world from hostile alien forces. Wonder Woman, acting as media spokesperson put it best, _'The Justice League has sworn to protect and serve the people of Earth and to defend our home-world against all enemies, alien and terrestrial…' _With dedicated heroes such as these around, I know that this reporter will be able to sleep a little easier tonight. This is Jack Ryder, reporting from Metropolis. Good night."

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman and John Stewart—Sector 2814's newly reactivated alternate Green Lantern—loaded the captured enemy prisoners onto a personnel transport starship, which Superman had built using Kryptonian technology, and hauled them off to the same uninhabited planet to which Robin had teleported the enemy air crews.

Although Superman had built the ship for a purely utilitarian purpose, he did include a small lounge off the starboard bow with a large viewing window. It was a nice, quiet place where a person could grab a few moments peace; it was also the place in which Batman found himself brooding over the events of the previous week…

He reflected on the remarkable things that Robin had done with the Ring, the way he'd made Batman's suggestions an instantaneous reality, only to astound everyone with the staggering formation of not one but two wormholes! Something John Stewart and Guy Gardner admitted that to their knowledge no Green Lantern had ever created.

He recalled the cold hand that clutched his chest when Robin collapsed, unconscious in his arms. The tense flight back to Mount Justice and Robin never regaining consciousness until almost 36 hours later—remaining unaware through a zeta beam transport home, a CT scan, IVs, beeps from monitors, a catheter, and other indignities.

If it weren't for Leslie's quiet reassurances that Dick's body was simply exhausted and resting in order to recoup whatever reserves of energy he'd tapped into when he'd used the Ring, Bruce may not have made it through the next few days without going out and busting heads until he felt better.

"I can't be sure, of course," Leslie said. "We know there's a mental aspect with the Ring-bearer, but what we've never known is whether there is a physical component to the symbiotic relationship between the Ring and the Green Lantern. Whatever the case may be, it's fairly certain that without any kind of prior training, Dick probably had to work twice as hard to do the things he did." She smiled sympathetically. "He'll wake up when he's ready and not before…Now, why don't you get some rest, too, Bruce? I really don't want two patients passed out due to exhaustion."

Thankfully, Dick had awakened by late the following afternoon, and Leslie had prescribed complete bed rest for five days. At Dick's inevitable protest, she "allowed" him to bargain her down to four days—three with good behavior. The wink and smirk she gave Bruce and Alfred when she faced away from her impatient patient told the whole story.

Thankfully, Dick had been sprung in time for them to spend at least one day together before Bruce had to go on this ridiculous junket to another planet. They spent the day at Wayne Corp supervising post-war cleanup and recovery. Dick worked with the cyber-techs to re-install and upgrade systems security, while Bruce made it a point to walk through all the different departments and personally check on each employee's welfare.

That night, they'd patrolled the streets of Gotham and stopped five muggings and three B&E's (typical street level mooks and punks—one look at the Bat and they cried like little girls); one bank robbery attempt by the Riddler (Robin decked him with one punch to his glass jaw), and a jewelry heist. (Catwoman, who somehow managed to escape after Batman caught her and sent Robin to call the authorities.)

All in all, your typical night in Crazy Town, USA. A great time was had by all, especially the Dynamic Duo, and when they returned home, Alfred noticed Bruce smiling at one of Dick's awful puns…

The two-day journey through hyperspace left Batman feeling vaguely unsettled. He hated the final frontier, absolutely _**loathed **_it, in fact. He despised space battles and any and all contact with extraterrestrials who decided that Earth was the flavor of the month, and therefore, its inhabitants needed to be conquered, annihilated, eaten, or—as was the case more often than not—all three.

He barely tolerated having the JL Watchtower as an orbiting satellite.

Batman was a non-super powered, 100 percent human male—a creature of Earth. He'd traveled the world when he was younger, seeking knowledge, honing his skills as a fighter, perfecting his physical prowess and mental acuity. But when he felt himself ready to begin his crusade, he returned to his boyhood home, Gotham City. It was there where Bruce Wayne had experienced his greatest happiness and his greatest despair.

Gotham was his city and he was her protector. And up until four years ago, he had managed his mission alone. But now the city had two protectors, Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo. His mouth twitched briefly. _Robin would have loved being out here_, he thought. The boy loved adventure and was always excited about trying out new things. Batman sobered immediately.

The Ring changed everything.

_What kind of __**idiot**__ gives a Power Ring to a kid?_ He fumed. _The thing's the most powerful weapon in the universe, not some prize toy in a cereal box!_ He sighed. _Dick's not even old enough to drive—but The Powers That Be think he's mature enough to wield a weapon that can level mountains? It's a Pandora's box of untapped power—and a heavy responsibility for a grown man…let alone a boy._

And if that wasn't bad enough, Batman—no, Bruce Wayne—suddenly had to be the parent who takes away the shiny new, but dangerous toy from the 13-year-old kid. Alfred sure wasn't going to volunteer for that particular duty. Leslie had just laughed.

As the loyal valet said, "I'm _in_ _loco grand-parentis,_ sir…I get to spoil the young master as any doting grandfather would. You, on the other hand, are his father. Therefore, you must make all the hard decisions."

Scowling, Bruce crossed his arms. "That's not even a real word, Alfred."

"No, but it does get my point across," Alfred said smugly. Raising a single eyebrow, he removed a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from the oven—Dick's favorite, of course…

Batman glared out the view screen at the star-scape that passed by, swirling in a strange painter's palette of never before seen vibrant colors. As they were traveling faster than light, the color spectrum had broken up and divided itself into a multitude of hues that blended into new shades, then separated in sharp relief.

A shade of blue against the inky blackness of space caught his eye. It was the exact dark blue as Dick's eyes. As Batman, saying "No" to Robin for his own safety was an easy bet. Out in the streets, there was nothing more important than the mission, and Robin's safety (and his) was paramount for its success. Therefore, the rules were designed specifically to ensure the safety of the team (especially Robin), and the completion of the mission.

However, saying "No" to Dick was an entirely different entity altogether. At the time of his arrival in the Wayne household, the young boy's sad, expressive blue eyes had reflected a deep despair that mirrored Bruce's at the loss of his own parents.

Without any effort on his part, the boy had touched the billionaire playboy so suddenly and unexpectedly that before he knew what he was doing, Bruce was volunteering to take the boy in for the night. The "night" had turned into "an extended stay until more suitable accommodations could be found," which turned into his signing the legal guardianship papers and making Dick's _temporary _stay _permanent_.

If Bruce were honest with himself, most of these decisions were made simply because he couldn't bear to say "No" to a certain pair of trusting, dark blue eyes. Since that time, Dick's wide-eyed smile and sunny disposition had completely broken through Bruce's hardened heart.

Therefore, when he said "No" this time, he made sure that it was _Batman_ saying "No" to _Robin_. After all, Robin couldn't drive the Batmobile because he was underage; he couldn't stay out past midnight on a weeknight because he had school the next day; and he couldn't go after Joker, Two Face, or Killer Croc on his own because it was too dangerous.

So, no Power Ring without parental supervision—and maybe not even then—until further notice. As long as Batman was going to be off world, the Ring would kept in the vault, along with all the other dangerous weapons and artifacts that Batman had collected over the years.

Glaring down at his junior partner from his imposing height and holding his eyes (which were thankfully hidden behind the white lenses of his domino mask), Batman exacted a promise from Robin not to take the Ring out while he was off world.

"But, Batman, what if something really bad happens while you're gone?" Robin asked. "I mean, what if there's a breakout at Arkham?"

"Then Green Arrow and Black Canary will be on hand to help out," Batman said stoically. "They've already agreed to be around while I'm gone."

"But I thought Gotham was _our_ city?"

"It is…but you're my son." Against his better judgment, Batman sighed and removed his cowl, prompting Robin to remove his own mask. Bruce's demeanor relaxed slightly; this time, it was a father's concern that looked down on the boy, not Batman's uncompromising glare. "So, I'm asking you—please, leave the Ring in the vault while I'm gone. It's simply too dangerous for you to use it unsupervised."

Father and son held each other's eyes, neither willing to blink first. At last, Dick swallowed and looked away, slowly bringing up his hand. Gazing at the Ring with a longing he didn't quite understand, he nodded reluctantly in agreement.

"I promise, Bruce…I won't do anything dumb." He slipped the Ring off his finger and handed it to Bruce. "Here…lock it in the vault until you get back."

"Good…and Dick? John Stewart doesn't know it yet, but he's going to agree to help with your training."

"How 'bout Guy Gardner?" Robin asked hopefully.

"Over. My. Dead. Body."

"But he's fun!" Implying that Stewart, an ex-marine, most certainly _**wasn't**_.

"You need a mentor, not a playmate."

Batman watched Robin's eyes narrow as he gave the matter serious thought. It was apparent he was less than enthusiastic about spending any long periods of time with Stewart—having spent many hours on Monitor duty with the man, Batman could hardly blame him—but then the Boy Wonder dismissed it as unimportant.

Coming to his decision, Robin's face lit up, and he gave a loud whoop, executing three successive back flips. He was going be a Green Lantern—that was just all kinds of awesome…

Grimacing, Batman mentally kicked himself. Now he had to approach Stewart—there's no way he'd ever be desperate enough to ask Gardner—and _**tell**_ him to agree to do what he had already promised Dick—namely, train the boy in the finer art of wielding the Power Ring.

And wasn't _**that**_ the sticking point?

As the primary mentor to Young Justice, Batman had approved Black Canary's training regimen for the youngsters. They had sat down together and discussed each junior hero's powers and abilities and had agreed that in order for the youngsters to learn how to work together as a team, they would have to know how to augment one another's strengths and weaknesses.

Under those circumstances—to ensure success for the new team—Batman accepted the need for Robin to receive training from someone other than himself.

But each time he thought of being dependent on Stewart for Dick's training, he felt an almost visceral reaction in his gut. Robin's training was his responsibility; it had been since the boy was nine. Dick had only recently turned thirteen in March. _(A teenager…where had the time gone?)_ As he'd blown out the candles, he'd looked up at Bruce with a pair of wistful eyes and told him his birthday wish: to be invited to the Hall of Justice.

From that visit's fiasco had come Robin and the other sidekicks' "rebellion," which led to their finding and freeing Superboy from Cadmus. This in turn led to the formation of Young Justice—and Robin's new need to receive training by someone other than Batman.

Then there was the whole issue of Power Rings and Guardians of the (_**Freaking**_) Universe and the responsibility of an entire space sector that were all ganging up against him on some kind of galactic tug of war and doing their worst to tempt Dick away—offering the whole universe as his personal playground and powers limited only by his imagination.

It was a mesmerizing siren's song that Bruce knew would eventually call Dick away from Gotham…away from him.

Which brought the problem back full circle: His little boy was growing up, and he was having trouble letting go. And then he had to go and make that promise…

_I knew I shouldn't have taken off the cowl_, he groused.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Finally, after what seemed an interminable journey across the nothingness of space, they arrived at their destination. Batman had already cynically designated the planet, _Botany Bay,_ after the infamous penal colony. He still thought it a mistake, or at the very least an ill-advised move, to transport such a large complement of prisoners here in order to essentially release them.

However, since Robin had already sent a good-sized contingent to this planet, the League determined it was the best course of action available. Besides, Stewart felt it necessary to check on their status—i.e., to see whether or not they had arrived in one piece and were still breathing.

The prisoners/colonists were to be left with sufficient supplies—flour, seeds, dry goods, etc., and building materials to survive until they could become a self-sufficient colony—or, until they killed each other, Batman contended, whichever came first.

The planet had enough water, game, and edible plants for long-term survival. Of course, the new colonists would also have to make do with the most basic of hand tools—the same kind of tools that the Europeans had taken with them to the New World when they first settled there.

"We will be back within one half of your planetary solar year to check on your progress," Superman said.

"By the great goddess, you cannot just leave us here!" One of the new colonists stepped forth. He was larger than the others, already asserting his position of power. "I am Flight Officer D'Thor, Red Squadron commander of the great Imperator's own Legion—!"

Stewart threw down a green, electrified fence around the angry colonist. "That's far enough."

"You sent us here without food or weapons…with no warning!" D'Thor shouted.

"You attacked our planet without provocation," Batman replied coldly. "You killed hundreds of thousands in just the few days you were there. We could have executed you, but I was outvoted." Batman glared at the group of protestors representing the larger body of prisoner-colonists. "We could have elected to abandon you here… never to return to check on you." He indicated the goods they had off-loaded. "Again, I was outvoted, and as you can see…we even brought supplies."

"And weapons? We need them for survival. There are wild beasts here—!"

"You know that's an interesting thing," Stewart said, with a grin. "It seems that at least on this one point, we are all in agreement: It will be a cold day in hell before we supply you with any arms and ammunition…As for your own weapons? Let's just say that a _'little bird'_ told us an interesting tale of how you were stripped of any and all weapons before being transported here—clear across the galactic arm!" He looked at Batman. "Neat trick…I'll have to ask him to show me how he did it."

Another colonist stepped forward. He was younger, nervous.

"Please…I am Pilot Officer D'Chet also of Red Squadron. We were only following the orders of our leaders. Surely, you must understand. It was our duty to obey."

Batman held the former enemy's pleading eyes for a beat, not bothering to hide his contempt.

"Understand? I'll tell you what I understand. I understand that because of you and your kind, I have a friend lying in a hospital right now—in a coma. I understand that you endangered my son's life and the lives of millions more." Glaring at the colonist, Batman fought the urge to drive his fist into the prisoner's face; instead, he turned and headed back toward the JL spacecraft.

"But what of our home planet?" D'Chet demanded. "Are we doomed to never set eyes upon our homes again? To never see our families again?"

"I spoke with the Guardians of Oa while we were enroute here," Stewart said quietly. "We've dispatched Earth's third Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, to your planet. You will be kept apprised of the situation once we know more."

"We'll be back in a half-year's time," Batman repeated. "Meanwhile, I suggest you work together to build a future for yourselves here. It's more than you would have given us."

As the JL members headed back to the space ship, a large shadow suddenly blocked out the sun…

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

A soft green aura enveloped Dick as he tossed and turned in his sleep. Images of Green Lantern Guy Gardner breaking free of restraints and battling his way through a gauntlet of enemy fire filled his dreams.

These were superimposed with those of air attacks and explosions on the ground, which soon deliquesced and were replaced by scenes of the Justice League battling the same enemy on a strange, alien planet…

Green Lantern John Stewart sent a green energy blast at an atmospheric fighter…

Superman caught two enemy aircraft and slammed them together in a typical show of super-strength for the Man of Steel…

Wonder Woman caught one by the aft section with her lasso, twirled it above her head, and threw it back toward the mothership, which was maintaining a low-planetary orbit…

Martian Manhunter and Batman materialized inside one of the maintenance/ventilation shafts and headed in the direction of the ship's core. Dick remembered the twists and turns he'd taken only a few days ago. But what was going on…?

"_Green Lantern Richard John Grayson…" _a familiar cold voice "spoke" in his mind. _"Green Lantern Guy Gardner reports that the Imperator of the D'Gutchck, a warlike race in Sector 2814, has launched an attack on the formerly uninhabited planet newly designated Botany Bay…"_

Dick's eyes snapped open, instantly awake. _Was I dreaming?_ he wondered. Holding his arms out, he looked down at himself.

_A green aura? But the Ring's still locked downstairs in the vault—_

To his shock, the Ring appeared suddenly in front of him and quickly slipped itself onto his middle finger.

"—or not!" he muttered.

"_When he arrived at the D'Gutchck home world," _the cold voice continued,_ "Green Lantern Guy Gardner was taken prisoner, but he managed to escape and send word to Oa. The Imperator, the D'Gutchck leader, ordered one of their vast warships to Botany Bay to execute the prisoner-colonists for failing to carry out their mission of conquest on Earth." _Here the cold voice paused, and when it spoke again, it held a small modicum of compassion._ "Green Lantern John Stewart reports that he and other members of your world's Justice League are under heavy attack…"_

Bruce was in trouble! Dick tossed off the bedclothes and jumped out of bed. The "voice" was still speaking…

"_We have dispatched six Green Lanterns from your nearest neighboring sectors to lend assistance. However, the closest one is at least fifteen hours out from Botany Bay..." _

As the voice went silent, the green aura around Dick faded as well. Dick shouted for Alfred and sprinted down to the Bat-cave. Once there he hurriedly filled in the loyal valet on the situation. Donning his mask, he activated the JL comms.

"Watchtower, this is Robin…I have a Code-Red emergency! Repeat…I have a Code-Red emergency!"

"This is Watchtower—Black Canary speaking. State the nature of your Code-Red emergency."

Less than ten minutes later, Robin was being announced into the Watchtower—his first time there.

"Robin…B-0-1."

In the past, when he'd dreamed of this moment, of his finally stepping out of the JL transporter onto the Watchtower, it was always with Batman at his side. Kid Flash and Red Arrow, his two closest friends, would be there, too, along with their mentors. It should have been a moment to be savored as he gazed in awe at the entrance foyer, which was the JL's Hall of Heroes—past and present.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have ever imagined that on his first visit he would be facing a League emergency without Batman standing next to him. Taking a calming breath, he headed toward the JL conference room.

Black Canary had scrambled the Justice League as soon as she'd signed off with Robin. Thankfully, most of the members had already arrived. As Robin rushed in, the senior heroes all turned to face him. Except for the heroes whose junior partners were members of Young Justice and already knew about Hal Jordan's temporary replacement, the rest of the JL looked on in surprise.

"BC, I thought you said GL was coming," Hawkgirl stated.

"I did…and he's here," Black Canary said smugly. "Everybody…Robin here is the new Green Lantern."

"What—? But where's the real—?"

Robin activated the Power Ring and was immediately enveloped in an emerald aura. His normally red tunic and the yellow lining of his cape were now green, while the _R_-symbol was overlaid with a Green Lantern insignia.

Straightening his shoulders, Robin glared at Hawkgirl. "We don't have a lot of time. I received word from Oa that Batman and the others are in trouble. The Guardians have sent Green Lanterns from the local sectors to Botany Bay, but they're still hours away. Our guys don't have that kind of time." He looked around at the rest of the assembled heroes. "I'm going! If you want to come aboard, this bus is leaving in about 30 seconds."

Without waiting for a response, Robin turned and strode purposefully back to the Hall of Heroes. Black Canary and Green Arrow glared at their colleagues before following him. The remaining heroes appeared momentarily nonplussed, then with a shrug, trailed after them.

"Okay, son, we're all here," the Flash said, addressing Robin. "Now what?"

Familiar with the routine now, Robin closed his eyes and took a deep breath to settle his nerves. He cleared his mind of all distractions, and reaching inside himself, he searched for the green energy source…

There! He felt instantly grounded and at peace. Concentrating, he brought his considerable Bat-will to bear and began channeling green energy through the Power Ring.

Startled, the world's greatest heroes suddenly found themselves inside an emerald teleporter portal. A quiet voice spoke in their heads, "Justice League transfer in five…four…three…two…one…Mark!"

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

End of Part 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary**: Robin saves the day and Batman comes to terms with the situation.

**Author's Note**: Special thanks go out to Beth and PJ for beta-reading this final installment. I am not exaggerating when I say that their critical suggestions and eye for detail have made this a much better story than what I initially wrote. Also, thanks to everyone who's read and provided feedback—your kind words have been humbly appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

**Copyright**: April 2012

Brightest Knight

By Syl Francis

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

"_I'm going! If you want to come aboard, this bus is leaving in about 30 seconds…"_

_Startled, the world's greatest heroes suddenly found themselves inside an emerald teleporter portal. A quiet voice spoke in their heads, "Justice League transfer in five…four…three…two…one…Mark!"_

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

A green zeta-beam wormhole appeared, and from one breath to another, the heroes were transported from the Watchtower to the middle of a heated battle! Without hesitation, the League assembled into prearranged battle formations and attacked.

Robin meanwhile took the fight to the mothership. Calling forth a Ring-generated virtual schematic of the great star ship's security system, he quickly hacked it and locked onto Batman and Martian Manhunter's positions. They were both in the engine room where the ship's core was located. Changing the view to a real-time video feed, he saw that they were surrounded and outnumbered.

Shaking his head ruefully, he muttered, "When he sees me, he's gonna kill me…"

Robin easily disabled the ship's security system and shields. Then, he put the video feeds into a continuous loop. Shrugging, he hacked the ship's helm/nav station and ordered the massive ship into a decaying orbit. If not corrected within the next half hour, the ship would enter the planet's atmosphere and begin burning up on re-entry.

"I guess they'll have to abandon ship." Remembering the crew of the frigate that had been forced to evacuate in open waters, he thought it poetic justice. Of course, if Batman had set the ship's core to explode, it was possible that the crew didn't even have a half-hour.

But then, neither did Batman.

_Robin, the Teen Lantern, to the rescue! And could that __**sound**__ any lamer? Boy Lantern? Kid Lantern? Bat Lantern?_

It was a good thing this whole GL adventure was only temporary. He was already partner to the world's coolest guy and got to play with all the neat Bat-toys. So, he didn't need the Ring—did he?

Besides, Hal Jordan would always be Green Lantern in his and everyone else's eyes. And Dick _**so**_ didn't need the guilt. Hal was like the cool uncle that all the kids loved to hang with because he didn't make them eat healthy or go to bed at a so-called reasonable hour or tell them they couldn't watch R-rated movies. Okay…maybe even Hal would draw the line on the last one because even with a Power Ring, it was doubtful if Hal could take on Batman—or Alfred, for that matter. Still, the guy had a cool super-power _**and**_ a cool secret identity! Heroes like him never stayed down for long.

No…Dick was only a temporary replacement. The universe needed Hal Jordan. He'd come back. He had to.

In the meantime, Robin had a job to do.

Bringing up the engine room feed, Robin saw that Manhunter was down, and Batman was fighting hand-to-hand—one against twenty…nineteen...eighteen…Robin grinned. No one was firing his weapon for fear of setting off an explosion.

Which should make everything all the easier.

Robin flew in, his protective aura allowing him to literally go through the ship's hull. _Okay…that's just freaking awesome! _

He decided that all Green Lanterns must have wills of iron to keep from just playing with the Ring day in/day out. Did they ever just take it out for a spin? Just for fun of it? To test their limits? Maybe when this was over, he would be able to take it out for a test drive and kick the tires? Check under the hood—that sort of thing?

He sighed. He could just hear Batman's voice reminding him that the Power Ring was a dangerous weapon and not some kid's toy to play with.

_Okay, focus! Engine room coming up!_

Slipping in through the ceiling, Robin immediately noted Batman and Manhunter's locations. He also saw that the explosives had never been set. They were lying haphazardly in a corner where they had been undoubtedly tossed in the heat of battle. Quickly enveloping his mentor and Martian Manhunter in a protective bubble, he sent a mental command to the plastic explosives and levitated them toward the ship's core, where he attached them, and set the timers.

He shielded the C4 and detonator to prevent tampering. The shielding was only temporary and would collapse when the timer reached 00:00:00.

"If I were you, I'd be thinking about getting off this bucket," Robin shouted, addressing the enemy crewmembers. "Even if I don't set the explosives, which I just did…I've also got your ship in a decaying orbit. Whatever happens…it won't be long before your ship either blows up or burns up…or both!"

By now, he and the two senior heroes, encased in a protective bubble, were moving quickly through the ship's interior. With the merest thought, he sent out green energy tendrils that disabled the fighter aircraft that were currently sitting in the ship's fighter bay. Simultaneously, the Ring sought out and disabled any handheld weapons that the crewmembers might have on them as they hurried to the lifeboats. He also verified that the lifeboats were not armed.

Satisfied that he had done all he could to ensure that the crew could safely evacuate and wouldn't be able to carry the fight down to the heroes on the ground, he flew the protective bubble out of the ship and quickly put several nautical miles between them and the huge warship.

Within minutes, the D'Gutchck ship blew up—long before it could burn up on re-entry. _Oh, well…a win is still a win_, Robin thought smugly.

Once Batman and Martian Manhunter were safely on the ground, Batman said, "Good job," which was immediately followed by, "We'll talk later."

_Oh, yeah…I'm __**so**__ dead_. Robin grimaced.

The Dark Knight got on the JL comms and contacted Stewart. "Break off whatever you're doing. Meet Robin and me by the ship."

When Stewart landed, Batman said, "Robin…show him how you removed and disarmed the aircrews simultaneously."

"Um, right…" Robin stammered. "Well…I—" He looked helplessly at Stewart. "I'm not sure how—?"

"Hey, that's okay, rookie," Stewart said, his deep, mellifluous voice helping to calm the boy. "We've all gotta learn sometime. Look here…" He proceeded to show Robin how to use the Ring to transfer his thought processes and illustrate how he removed and disarmed the alien crews from their aircraft.

Robin's eyes widened and his mouth formed a small _O_. Stewart grinned at the boy's awe at the simple illustration of the Ring's power, which was ironic considering some of Robin's heroic exploits with the Ring over past few days—accomplishments that Stewart himself had never achieved.

"All right…now it's your turn to share. Show me…"

After Robin demonstrated how to simultaneously dislodge and disarm the aircrews from their fighters, the two Green Lanterns began methodically rounding up the enemy combatants and placing them in shielded holding cells.

Those who had abandoned the warship in the lifeboats were promptly escorted to the cells as soon as they made landfall. When the six additional Green Lanterns arrived some ten hours later, the League determined that the prisoners had been given enough time to cool their heels.

Flanked by Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, Green Lanterns John Stewart and Robin addressed the full complement of Botany Bay prisoners—new and old.

"The Green Lanterns came with a message from Oa," Stewart began. "The Guardians have _graciously_ offered to have the GL Corps return you to your home planet if that is your wish. Understand though that your 'great Imperator' sent one of your warships here to destroy you because you failed in your primary mission…that of conquering Earth. We leave it to you," he said ironically. "Stay or go?"

"If we stay, what is there to prevent our mighty Imperator from sending another attack force?" D'Chet asked skeptically.

"The Green Lantern Corps has placed your home world under quarantine," Robin replied. "Nothing will go in or out without the Guardians' knowledge. Should your world engage in further aggression against its neighbors, then the GL Corps will step in. Believe us when we say…your Imperator doesn't want that kind of hurt to fall on his head."

It came as no surprise that what remained of the Imperator's Legion elected to stay on Botany Bay as their life expectancy on D'Gutchck would be incredibly short. D'Thor campaigned briefly for Red Squadron to return to D'Gutchck and appeal to the Imperator's better nature. After all, as he'd said time and again, the great Imperator had "…personally touched me on the forehead and given me—"

"—and given you the honor of leading the Legion's atmospheric fighters on his galactic crusade of conquest!" D'Chen interrupted. "Blah, blah, blah! We've heard it all before, D'Thor!"

"Flight Officer D'Thor if you wish to return home," Weapons Specialist D'Rhot said reasonably, "there is no one here to stop you. But my mate and I—" He held his hand out to a female crew member wearing identical uniform tabs. "—are tired of making war on people who have done us no harm. If the people of Earth whom we were sent to destroy and conquer can find it within themselves to spare our lives and let us live in peace, then I am eager to accept their offer."

"Here, here!" a large group shouted in approval.

Pilot Officer D'Chen again stepped forward. "Who wishes to stay and who wishes to go? Let each decide according to his own conscience!"

In the end D'Thor was outvoted. Stewart offered to take him to D'Gutchck, but D'Thor had already changed his mind. "I believe that Botany Bay could use someone with extensive command experience," he said thoughtfully. "To help in the building of the new colony, of course."

"Of course," Stewart agreed sardonically.

"I guess he'd 'rather rule in Hell than serve in heaven,' huh?" Robin said with a smirk.

"You know, Kid Flash told me you were some kind of a genius, Robin," the Flash said, "but I have to admit…I'm impressed that you know your Milton."

Robin's eyebrows went up. "My who?"

"John Milton…you know, _Paradise Lost_? You just quoted from it."

"No, I didn't…I quoted Kahn from _Star Trek_."

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Batman and Robin spent the greater part of the return trip home behind closed doors. They were seen for meals, during which they kept largely to themselves. In the afternoon, they could be found in the ship's extensive hold, training. While Batman had his usual dour demeanor, Robin smiled and said _"Hi"_ everyone; however, Batman's glower kept any friendly overtures toward the boy to a minimum.

Green Arrow and Black Canary assumed the boy was in trouble since they knew of Batman's decision to keep the Power Ring locked away. Obviously, Robin had disobeyed orders. Perhaps for the right reasons, but he'd disobeyed nonetheless.

"And the Bat is nothing if not a stickler for all those rules of his," Green Arrow grumbled.

"It's not our place, Ollie," Black Canary said. "Batman loves that boy, and it's pretty obvious Robin thinks the sun rises and sets on Batman. Whatever's going on between them, that's the one thing we can't lose sight of."

"I know…I remember when Roy used to look at me like that." Green Arrow gave a sad, wistful sigh. Smiling sympathetically, Black Canary placed her hand over his.

Others, like the Flash didn't quite get why the Boy Wonder would be in the doghouse, since he had essentially saved the day. When a few of the heroes that Robin had transported to Botany Bay in the nick of time began to grumble about the Bat's poor parenting skills, Wonder Woman called for cooler heads to prevail.

"After all," she pointed out, paraphrasing the Boy Wonder. "You wouldn't really want that kind of hurt to fall on your heads…would you?"

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

Four days later, Bruce and Dick walked into Family Court Judge Davis' chambers. Their small group included Alfred and Leslie, who were to act as witnesses, a representative from Child Welfare Services, and Wayne's team of lawyers.

The judge made a short speech about parental responsibility, what major a step it was, and how Mr. Wayne needed to be sure that he understood the gravity of such an undertaking.

It took all of Dick's willpower to keep from rolling his eyes. The judge didn't realize that he was talking to _Mr. Gravitas_, himself. Then, it was his turn to be addressed by the judge.

"Richard…do you understand the significance of what Mr. Wayne is about to do?"

"Yes, sir," Dick said quietly. Somehow he managed not to say _"D'uh!"_

"What I mean is—that this paperwork isn't just about Mr. Wayne adopting you, this is also about your agreeing to the adoption and becoming his son. Legally, you are not at the age of consent; however, you are old enough to know what you want. And the court wants to ensure that your wishes are also being met. So…Richard, are you ready to accept Mr. Wayne in the role of your father? Being answerable to him? Being dependent on him for far more than just a roof over your head or food on the table?"

Dick took a breath and let it out slowly. How was he to put into words the jumbled feelings that were all mixed up inside him? He thought of his family—the Flying Graysons: his mom and dad, Uncle Rick and Aunt Karla, and their son, his older cousin John—all killed in a fall from the high wire, or in the case of his uncle, hospitalized for the rest of his life.

But more importantly, he thought of his mom and dad, and of the overwhelming sense of loss, pain, and grief that he'd felt that night and each subsequent night thereafter. It was a dull, lingering ache that he carried with him still, one that never completely went away.

And yet…

Bruce had been there that night and each day and night that followed. When Dick wanted to exact revenge from Tony Zucco, Bruce had shown him the path of justice. When Dick felt the darkness begin to consume him, Bruce stood as a beacon of hope.

And in the four years that Dick had lived, trained, and fought alongside him, Bruce had never overtly tried to replace his dad.

And yet…

Bruce had asked Dick to keep the Power Ring locked safely away until he could receive proper training—not because he didn't trust him to misuse the Ring's power, but because he was worried for Dick's safety, a boy whom he considered his son.

Of course, this begged the question: Why had Dick agreed to such an extreme course of action?

"Judge Davis, that piece of paper there only means that Bruce will legally be my father." He shrugged. "But, you see…" Dick turned to Bruce and held his eyes. "...I don't need a piece of paper to tell me who my father is. I've known it here—" He put his hand over his heart. "—for a long time now."

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

From the outside, the building resembled an old-style airplane hanger, but as Bruce and Dick walked into the lobby of Ferris Aircraft, they couldn't help being impressed by the interior's Art Deco architecture, reminiscent of another time and place. It was a bright and airy space with plenty of filtered sunlight from the huge, floor-to-ceiling windows that comprised the entire north-facing wall. On the right, as one entered, a wall mural tastefully depicted several scenes from the barnstorming era of aviation: The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk; a smiling Amelia Earhart waving goodbye from the open cockpit of her single engine plane; the _Spirit of St. Louis_ disappearing into the breaking dawn over the Atlantic.

It was a place that spoke of success in the field of aviation and in business.

Bruce knew Carol Ferris professionally. Wayne Tech and Ferris Aircraft had worked on several mutually beneficial projects and currently had at least three concepts on the drafting table. Besides having met during contract negotiations, they were also members of several charitable boards in which they shared common interests.

Still, this was the first time he had ever flown to Nevada to visit her company. Unfortunately, this wasn't a professional visit. No, he and Dick were there for a much more solemn and personal reason.

When they announced themselves to the receptionist—Ms. Atkinson—she smiled and pointed them to a small, comfortable sitting area, furnished with a couple of soft leather sofas and chairs. There was a complimentary hot drink dispenser set up that offered a variety of flavored coffees, teas, and hot chocolate. Forgoing the free refreshments, Bruce and Dick took a seat while their arrival was reported.

Bruce's secretary had called ahead at the last minute to inform Carol's executive office of his unscheduled visit. It was _last minute_ because Bruce had literally called and informed his own office of his plans just as his corporate jet was landing outside of Reno, Nevada. By the time he was turning onto the access road leading to Ferris Aircraft, Bruce had received word that Ms. Ferris would be able to fit him in that afternoon for a few minutes.

As he waited, Dick stared at nothing in particular. His mind kept playing over and over their hospital visit yesterday.

"Two birds with one stone," he muttered darkly.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing." Dick shook his head, his mind turning to thoughts of Hal and his uncle. The boy was struggling with too much guilt to be able to talk aloud about any of it just yet.

Since his family's tragedy, Dick had paid his Uncle Rick regular hospital visits. At first, he'd gone almost every day, usually right after school. He would do his homework, while talking quietly to his uncle about anything and everything that was happening in his life.

The day after he'd discovered Bruce's secret life and helped bring down Zucco, Dick rushed to the hospital to share it with him. In hurried, fervent whispers, Dick gave his uncle a blow-by-blow account of Zucco's downfall, while tightly holding onto his hand. He wasn't sure, of course—in fact, he privately admitted that he had probably imagined it—but Dick could have sworn that his uncle had squeezed his hand slightly in response.

Sadly, that had been the first and last time that Dick had perceived any kind of sign from his uncle that he might be on the road to recovery. Before long, the daily visits became weekly, and those were soon reduced to monthly. Now, he usually stopped by only on holidays and birthdays.

Yesterday, he and Bruce had visited his uncle at the Martha Wayne Memorial Hospital, where he occupied a private room that was more luxury suite than hospital room. It had a small sitting area with an attached kitchenette and an extra-large bathroom. The room opened out onto a balcony that overlooked the scenic, tree-lined cliffs of the Gotham River gorge.

The room was located on a private floor that belonged to the Wayne family, adding to the peaceful setting. Until yesterday, Dick's uncle had been the sole patient.

Now Rick had gained a new neighbor, Hal Jordan, who had been moved next door into an identical suite. As Bruce had solemnly explained: since Hal had been injured while attempting to rescue Dick, he was no longer just a friend and colleague; he was now considered a member of the family.

Hal's room had the same basic floor plan as Rick's, and it opened out to the same balcony. Dick smiled, imagining his uncle and Hal sitting out there in the morning, sipping their morning coffee.

The smile faded.

The doctors' prognosis in Hal's case had not been promising. Whatever the energy beam used to strike down the hero had been, it had affected his entire nervous system. It was as if his brain synapses had been utterly overloaded and firing in a chaotic manner. This had affected his autonomic system, and as a result, Hal had been placed on full life support to prevent organ shut down.

It would be a long time, if ever, before the two fliers—pilot and aerialist—would engage in such a mundane activity as quietly sharing a cup of coffee…

The receptionist—Ms. Atkinson, he remembered—walked up to them, interrupting Dick's dark thoughts.

"Mr. Wayne, Ms. Ferris will see you now. If you'll please step this way." The young woman led them to a private, express elevator. Obviously nervous, she fumbled slightly as she placed her passkey in the appropriate slot. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and much to her relief succeeded in activating the elevator.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne," she said with an apologetic shrug at Bruce. "We don't get a lot of…well, celebrities such as yourself way out here in the middle of nowhere. We're all pretty much down-to-earth around here." As she spoke, she pressed the top button.

"Please, Ms. Atkinson, apologies aren't necessary. And just for the record…my son and I—" Bruce offered her a polite smile as he casually placed his hand on Dick's shoulder in an absent-minded, fatherly gesture. "—Well, we like to think that we're pretty much down-to-earth, too."

Dick nodded in agreement. Less than a minute later, they stepped off the elevator and were greeted by Carol, herself.

"Bruce, what a surprise," Carol said, smiling pleasantly. She shook his hand politely. "I heard that Gotham was hit pretty hard during the invasion. I hope you and Wayne Corp managed to come through well."

"We did suffer some key personnel losses that I'm afraid will be keenly felt for quite some time." Bruce shrugged. "We can only go forward."

"I'm so sorry, Bruce. Please…if there's anything we at Ferris Aircraft can do—"

"That isn't why we came, Carol."

"Oh, please forgive my manners," she said by way of apology. She smiled at Dick. "And whom do we have here?"

"Carol, may I present my son, Richard Grayson-Wayne."

"I heard you'd made it official, Bruce," she said with a sincere smile. "Congratulations to you both! And it's a pleasure to meet you, Richard." They shook hands.

Dick looked uncomfortable. "Yes, m'am."

"Please…won't you be seated? Would you care for anything to drink?"

Bruce and Dick both shook their heads. Dick studied her. She was between 25-30—rather young to be running such a large corporation like Ferris Aircraft. Bruce had informed Dick that Carol's father, the founder of the company, had died within the last year, leaving her the company to run.

"So…? Bruce, to what _**do**_ I owe this unexpected visit?"

Bruce looked suddenly uncomfortable, and Dick could well understand why. For if Carol Ferris had become CEO of the company as a direct result of her father's death, then the company's financial success was due in no small part to the flying skills of the company's foremost test pilot and resident daredevil—Hal Jordan.

"There's no easy way to say this, Carol…" Bruce began, dreading the words he was about to say. "So, I'll simply say it straight."

As Dick listened, he barely heard the concocted story of Hal Jordan's "accident" while test flying Wayne Tech's newest aircraft as a personal favor to Bruce. Because Carol didn't know of Hal's second job, Bruce didn't feel that it was his secret to tell her. No, if Hal ever recovered and again took up the mantle of Green Lantern, then it would be his choice to reveal his secret identity to her if and when he felt it was the right time.

"As you know, Hal and I are old friends. He dropped by for a visit at Wayne Corp a couple days before the invading fleet entered our atmosphere. Lucius and I had shown him the plans for our newest plane. It had been about two months out from its first shakedown flight; however, because of the impending invasion we were forced to move up its timetable."

Bruce paused in his story, gauging her reaction. Although her facial expression remained outwardly calm, her hands were slowly closing and opening, revealing her growing anxiety.

"The military needed any advantage it could gain against the alien fighters," he continued. "Despite the initial timetable, believe me…_every_ indication showed that the plane was ready for its first test flight. I never would have approved moving it up otherwise. Anyway, after I showed Hal the plane's schematics, I jokingly asked him if he was interested in taking her out for her shakedown flight…" Bruce paused and deliberately held her eyes. "He took me up on it, and two days later…" He sighed. "…Everything was going fine. The plane was exceeding our highest expectations—but then, as you well know, Hal has a way of drawing out the best performance from any aircraft. Anyway, he was having a great time, when out of nowhere, an enemy fighter just appeared on our radar. Before we could even warn him, it was already locked onto him…Hal did everything he could to shake him, but—"

Carol's face paled, her violet eyes huge with dread. "No…"

Bruce dropped his head in shame. "He's in a coma—"

She shook her head in disbelief. _Coma? No, that wasn't possible!_

Bruce's voice faded into the background, becoming little more than noise. Carol went through all of Hal's qualifications in her mind, as if to reassure herself of the impossibility of his being injured.

"—in the Martha Wayne Memorial Hospital—"

_Hal's the best damn pilot in the whole world!_

"—in Bristol. Wayne Corp is paying all his hospital bills—"

_There's just no way he could've been taken by surprise!_

"—private room, private nurse, doctors—"

_I'd know…I'd just know if something had happened to him—!_

"—you name it…money's no object—"

_Money? He thinks I care about money?_

"—Hal is actually next door to Dick's—"

_Get out._ Had she spoken aloud? It was so hard tell.

"—Uncle Rick. Their suites are in a private wing—"

"Get out!" _There, he surely heard that! Did I scare the boy? He has the most expressive eyes…_

Bruce blinked in surprise. "Carol, please—"

"Just—"

Bruce opened his mouth to interrupt, but she beat him to it.

"—_**Get out**_!"

She jumped to her feet and threw herself at Bruce, hitting him over and over on the chest with her fists. She struck out in time to her hysterical litany: "_Get __**out**__, get __**out**__, get __**out**_!" The tears began to flow freely, and as her punches grew weaker, her legs slowly began to fold under her.

Bruce gathered her up in his strong arms, murmuring in her ear, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

Dick looked away unable to bear her heartbreak. He squeezed his eyes shut—a futile effort to keep the tears away.

Hal had saved his life. He was the real hero—someone whom Dick had looked up to for a long time. And now? Now, he lay in a coma in a hospital—possibly never to wake again.

And Dick had his Ring. Only he didn't really—it was being kept locked away, where it would probably atrophy from disuse. Just like Hal and Uncle Rick…their minds were locked away some place where the people who loved them couldn't reach him. Hal's once athletic body would also atrophy from disuse. Just like Uncle Rick's.

It wasn't fair.

The universe wasn't fair.

**~ / ~ / ~ / ~**

The following night in the Bat-cave, Dick looked worriedly between Bruce and Alfred. He didn't know what was going on just that Bruce wanted him in the cave ASAP. Like Bruce, he was dressed in simple sweat pants and a black tee shirt.

Alfred gave him a nod of encouragement, while Bruce gave him a half-smile that warmed his insides. It helped ease the tight feeling in his chest that had settled there since their visit to Ferris Aircraft.

Bruce held out a medium-sized ring box. Dick stared at it doubtfully but reached for it after a beat. Swallowing nervously, he opened it with shaking fingers. As he cracked the lid open, a blinding green light spilled out, disturbing the bats hiding amid the cave's shadows.

As the light faded, Dick blinked to clear his dazzled eyes. Nestled inside on a bed of white satin was the Ring.

Dick looked up startled. "Bruce, I—I don't understand. I thought…?" He waved an arm helplessly, unable to finish. He wanted to say that he thought Bruce didn't think he was ready. That despite his performance during the invasion and afterward, that Bruce thought he needed to wait until he was older, more experienced.

Also, as he'd spent almost his entire waking hours on the return trip from Botany Bay confined to quarters and in deep meditation with Bruce quietly coaching in the background, Dick figured that he'd been grounded for breaking his promise.

Dick had explained how the Ring had appeared of its own accord and warned him of the events on Botany Bay. Bruce's response had been a noncommittal grunt. He then ordered the meditation exercises. The long hours required of sitting still in the same position had been brutal for a boy used to constant movement. The physical workouts in the afternoon had been a relief, a chance for Dick to simply let go.

Reflecting on the days onboard the spaceship, Dick admitted privately that Bruce had never once said the meditation exercises were a punishment. He'd just said that Dick needed the practice.

"I think that your actions in Botany Bay and during the whole invasion proved beyond a doubt that a will as strong as yours needs training," Bruce said. "Right now, your abilities with the Ring have been partially gutsy and largely instinctive—certainly impressive—but all done on the fly." Bruce shook his head. "Son, you have to learn how to properly harness the raw power of the Ring by using your instinct, your intellect, and your imagination—"

"The three _I_'s?" Dick asked irreverently.

"You'll seek out all that potential energy, from somewhere here and here—" he tapped Dick's forehead and heart. "Hal once described the emerald energy as almost a predatory beast: Fierce, strong, ready to spring on the unwary, waiting for someone with the strength of character to channel it properly and bend it to his will."

"But how?" Dick asked, sounding small.

"That's what your training is for, Dick. Together—and with a little help from Stewart—we'll discover the _how_."

Mentor and pupil, father and son sat down cross-legged, eyes closed, facing each other.

"Okay, Dick…" Bruce spoke quietly, calmly. He was the still waters of a deep pool, reflecting silvery moonbeams on a cool spring night. "You know what to do. Just like we practiced on the trip back home. Calm your mind, center your soul, ground your body."

Nodding, Dick took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Before long, he found his center, and keeping his eyes closed, he looked inward and calmed the chaotic thoughts that had been swirling within him.

Dick pictured an old-fashioned green lantern in his mind's eye—the same kind he had seen Hal Jordan conjure seemingly out of thin air whenever he needed to recharge his Ring. As he did so, he slowly felt himself being grounded, becoming one with the universe, one with the Ring.

"That's it, Dick…" Bruce murmured. "You can see sense it now…"

"Yessss…"

"Reach for it inside your mind…Can you feel it? It's the center of your soul…"

Dick nodded. Yes…he could feel it, burning with limitless power. It was everywhere…inside him and outside…in the trees, in the grass…in the very air around him.

It was a part of him, of Bruce, of Alfred—of all mankind.

It was a part of all life and all matter.

It was the emerald energy that powered the Universe.

And the Ring.

Dick felt rather than saw the deep, emerald glow that enveloped him. Opening his eyes, he smiled at the sight of the power battery in the shape of a green lantern hanging, suspended in midair before him. Straightening up, he stood and walked toward it. Hesitating, he looked at Bruce and smiled at his father's nod of approval.

_The moment of truth_.

Dick thrust his hand inside the power battery, and the Ring responded immediately to the energy source.

Then almost as if he were standing outside himself, watching from afar, Dick heard his voice recite the solemn oath…

"In brightest day, in blackest night…no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power…Green Lantern's light!"

"_Richard John Grayson-Wayne, Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814…"_

It was the same cold, disembodied voice that had spoken to him in the enemy ship and later when warning him that Bruce was in danger. From the expression on Bruce's face, it was obvious that he also heard the voice, and it was taking all of his willpower not to interrupt.

"_You have one of the strongest wills ever wielded by a Green Lantern, powered by the purity and innocence of your youth and the creativity of a highly intelligent and disciplined mind. Once you report to the Guardians of the Universe at Oa for training, you will—"_

"_**Enough!**__" _Bruce interrupted the smug voice that had begun to grate in his ear.

"_Who dares interrupt the Guardians of the Universe?"_

"I dare! You are not taking my 13-year-old minor child off world for any reason! I don't care who you are!"

Several voices responded at once, talking over one another in a strange sort of excitement. If one could equate cold and unfeeling with being excited.

"_He was Chosen by the Ring." _

"_Never has there been a Green Lantern who could open a wormhole with the Power Ring!"_

"_Such knowledge and control must be trained—!"_

"_**I'll**_ train him—"

"_You are not a Green Lantern and therefore not versed in the way of the Power Ring and the green energy of the universe—"_

"Then John Stewart will either show me how, or he will help with Richard's training. And let's get another thing straight…until Richard turns eighteen—and maybe not even then—he's to be the Green Lantern of Earth, not of Space Sector 2814."

"_And what of the innocent inhabitants of the other planets in this sector? Are they to suffer without a protector for whatever number of years you deem necessary before Richard is ready to pick up the mantle?"_

"John Stewart and Guy Gardner—two trained Green Lanterns—have already agreed to patrol the rest of Space Sector 2814 between them. As for Richard's reaching the age of consent…my son is still a child—physically, emotionally, and also legally by our laws and customs. More importantly, because he's only a child, Richard can't be held accountable by a decision that is made today."

Bruce reached his hand out and laid it on Dick's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Children, by their very nature, must be given the freedom to choose their own path and to change their minds if they don't like where the path leads. When he grows up, Richard may decide to follow in my footsteps, or not. He may decide to devote his entire life to the Green Lantern Corps, or he may not. Whatever happens, it will be _**his**_ decision…one which I will support to the best of my ability. And that you will accept—regardless of outcome!"

"_Bruce Wayne, your words speak true. And, as a Ring has not Chosen one who is not of the age of consent for several of your millennia, your conditions are acceptable—providing that you allow Green Lantern John Stewart give Richard the training he needs—"_

"You mean _'allow'_ Stewart to give Dick the training _**I**_ say he needs."

"_The Green Lantern Corps follows a very rigorous training program for all its new recruits. Our drill instructor, Green Lantern Kilowog, will provide Green Lantern Stewart with a training regimen for Richard that should prove adequate—"_

"Actually, I will go over the proposed training regimen with Stewart and determine its adequacy. I have been training Dick since he was nine in both mental and physical disciplines. I know what his needs are!"

"That's true!" Dick piped up. "If it hadn't been for the meditation exercises Bruce has been teaching me since, well, _forever, _I never could've made the Ring work. And, well, during the invasion…if I was messing up or couldn't remember what to do, Bruce was right there coaching me. See, he's my partner..._**and**_ my father. I trust him."

"_Your demands, Bruce Wayne, are highly unusual. But then, this **situation **in which we find ourselves is also highly unusual. Please wait, while my colleagues and I confer…"_

Bruce tried to exude an air of calm as they waited for the most powerful beings in the universe to determine the fate of one small boy.

"You'd think these so-called Guardians would have better things to do than sit around deciding whether Master Richard should be home schooled or sent to their Green Lantern boarding school." Alfred's small attempt to lighten the mood didn't really work, but Dick smiled dutifully and Bruce acknowledged his efforts with a small nod.

The time passed, and just as Dick was about to lose hope, the Guardians spoke once more.

"_Bruce Wayne, you are a man of great discipline and integrity. Your will is strong and you have a strong sense of justice. Given another set of circumstances, we believe that the Ring would have Chosen you as its wielder."_

"No, thanks," Bruce muttered under his breath. The JL Watchtower was as far out in space as he ever wished to go.

"_Richard John Grayson-Wayne of Earth…"_

Dick straightened up, realizing that he was finally being addressed by the disembodied voice. "Yes, sir?"

"_Listen well to your father and mentor, for he speaks words of wisdom. Wear the Ring well, and wield its might not only to protect the weak and helpless, but also, to serve the cause of justice. The universe has great plans for you, Green Lantern of Earth; your home world is but a small stop on the long road to your destiny. May the solar winds be always at your back, and may the great Power Battery be only a hand's reach away…"_

As the voice spoke, the Ring activated and sheathed Dick in a green aura. Bruce watched, transfixed, as his son's transformation began: His workout clothes were replaced by a Kevlar-reinforced black bodysuit. There was a single green wing-shape across his chest that extended along his slender shoulders, down both arms, to the tips of his first two index fingers. Centered over his left breast, much like a policeman's badge, was a small replica of a power battery—the symbol of the Green Lantern Corps.

"Whoa…I don't believe it," Dick said reverently. "Bruce, it looks just like my Nightwing avatar uniform!"

At Bruce's blank stare, Dick explained impatiently, "You know…Nightwing! From the online game KF and I play all the time! He's Quicksilver and I'm Nightwing. Only my avatar's wing is blue, not green." Dick looked thoughtful. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Bruce? 'Cause if you're not, then I'll just send the Ring back…ask it to find someone else."

"No…you're helping a friend until he's able to return to the job. We have to believe that Hal will be back soon. In the meantime, I expect you to be the best GL of Earth that you can be."

"Bruce…what if Hal doesn't-?"

"Let's wait until we have to cross that bridge before we start to worry."

"But, Bruce…what if Hal doesn't come back and I have to be a Green Lantern for keeps?" Dick tried real hard to stay _'traught_, but the _dis_- was categorically making itself known despite his best efforts to hold it at bay. "What'll happen to the Dynamic Duo?" His voice sounded small and young.

"Whatever happens, Dick…you'll do what you've always done. You'll do what's right in your heart. And don't worry about the Dynamic Duo…We're partners, right?" He placed a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I'll always have your back."

Dick's face lit up at his mentor's words, and without conscious effort or assistance from the Ring, he executed three back flips and a round off. With child-like glee, he ran to the gymnastics equipment and proceeded to go through his routines.

As Bruce watched from the sidelines, he realized that Hal Jordan would have approved of Dick as his replacement because as an ex-Air Force brat, Hal had been born to fly. Odd, how he'd never noticed the similarities between Hal and Dick before…

Bruce slowly felt a sense of peace come over him. Whatever Dick's future held, one thing was certain—Dick had been defying gravity since he'd learned to walk and would continue to do so for a lifetime to come—with or without a Power Ring.

After all, his son had also been born to fly!

The End


End file.
